Layout capabilities of adaptive forms

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) lets you create easy-to-use adaptive forms that offer dynamic experiences to end users. The form layout controls how items or components are displayed in an adaptive form.

Prerequisite knowledge

Before learning about the different layout capabilities of adaptive forms, read the following articles to know more about adaptive forms.

Layout for accordion design

Using this layout, you can place the Panel adaptive form component in a panel with accordion style navigation. Using this layout, you can also create repeatable panels. Repeatable panels enable you to dynamically add or remove panels as needed. You can define the minimum and the maximum number of times a panel repeats. Also, the title of the panel can be determined dynamically, based on the information provided in the panel items.

Summary expression can be used to show the values provided by the end user in the title of the minimized panel.

Repeatable panels created using Accordion layout

Tabbed layout - tabs appear on the left

Using this layout, you can place the Panel adaptive form component in a panel with tab navigation. The tabs are placed on the left of the panel content.

Tabs appearing on the left of a panel

Tabbed layout - tabs appear on the top

Using this layout, you can place the Panel adaptive form Component in a panel with tab navigation. The tabs are placed on top of the panel content.

Tabs appearing on the top of a panel

Mobile layouts

Mobile layouts allow for user-friendly navigation on the mobile devices with relatively smaller screens. Mobile layouts use either tabbed or wizard styles for form navigation. Applying a Mobile Layout provides a single layout for the entire form.

This layout controls navigation using a navigation bar and a navigation menu. The navigation bar shows < and > icon to indicate next and previous navigation steps in the form.

The Mobile Layouts are available at /libs/fd/af/layouts/mobile/ location. The following mobile layouts are available in adaptive forms, by default.

List of Mobile Layouts in adaptive forms

When using a mobile layout, the form menu, to access various form panels, is available by tapping icon.

Layout with panel titles in the form header

This layout, as the name suggests, shows panel titles along with the navigation menu and navigation bar. This layout also provides Next and Previous icons for navigation.

Mobile layouts with panel titles in the form headers

Layout without panel titles in the form header

This layout, as the name suggests, shows only the navigation menu and navigation bar without panel titles. This layout also provides Next and Previous icons for navigation.

Mobile layouts without panel titles in the form headers

Toolbar layouts

A Toolbar Layout controls positioning and display of any action buttons that you add to your adaptive forms. The layout can be added at a form level or at a panel level.

A list of Toolbar Layouts in adaptive forms

Toolbar layouts are available at /libs/fd/af/layouts/toolbar location. adaptive forms provide the following Toolbar Layouts, by default.

Default layout for toolbar

This layout is selected as the default layout when you add any action buttons in an adaptive form. Selecting this layout displays the same layout for both, desktop and mobile devices.

Also, you can add multiple toolbars containing action buttons configured with this layout. An action button is associated with a form control. You can configure the toolbars to be before or after a panel.

Default view for toolbar

Mobile fixed layout for toolbar

Select this layout to provide alternate layouts for desktop and mobile devices.

For the desktop layout, you can add Action buttons using some specific labels. Only one toolbar can be configured with this layout. If more than one toolbar are configured with this layout, there is an overlap for mobile devices and only one toolbar is visible. For example, you can have a toolbar at the bottom or the top of the form, or, after or before panels in the form.